19 Day Indochina Package Tour

We will be greeted at the airport and transferred to our hotel. Relax for the rest of the day and enjoy welcome dinner on the  cruise. Overnight in Bangkok.

Today we explore Bangkok’s best cultural landmarks. See first the glittering temples of the Grand Palace and the large reclining Buddha at Wat Po, one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. Cruise the mighty Chao Phraya by a long tail boat and pop into the famous Temple of Dawn. Marvel at how ancient sites lie alongside glittering shopping malls and skyscrapers – that’s Bangkok. Stay overnight at a hotel in Bangkok.

Today we do a full-day Kanchanaburi Tour with lunch. Visit the famous war Cemetary “Don Rak " and the Jeath War which enclave in the riverside precincts of Wat Chai Chumphon having been constructed largely in the form of an allied prisoner of war camp. The name Jeath is derived from Japan, England, America, Australia, Thailand, and Holland. Explore The Bridge over the River Kwai International famous, the black iron bridge was brought from Java by the Japanese Army and reassembled under Japanese supervision by Allied prisoners of war labor as part of the “Death Railway” linking Thailand with Myanmar.

Add the visit to the Hellfire Pass Museum including a train ride and boat ride, co-sponsored by the Australian and Thai governments which are located on the site of the cutting and have superb interactive displays telling the story of the construction. Visitors can walk down the valley and see the actual cutting of Hellfire Pass. Although the tracks have long since disappeared, the route of the cutting can be clearly seen. Lunch at a local restaurant and then free at leisure. Stay overnight in Bangkok.

Fly to Chiang Mai to see this city from a unique perspective as you travel the old walled city area by samlor – a cyclo. Pop into the Art and Cultural Centre for an introduction to the history and culture of Northern Thailand. Continue to journey Wat Chedi Luang with its big stupa and Wat Phra Singh which houses a sacred Buddha. After a local lunch, drive to Chiang Mai’s most famous place, Doi Suthep Temple. Climb the stairs to the top of the temple and be rewarded with magnificent views over the valley.

Evening Khantoke dinner with traditional dance. Back to the hotel. Free at your own leisure.

Start from the hotel in Chiang Mai driving along a wild route via Doi Saket through scenic hills, valleys, and villages. A short break is made at Mae Khachan Hot Spring. Proceed to Chiang Rai province and visit Akha and Yao hill tribe villages in the Mae Chan area. View around taking pictures of tribal villages and people who still dress up in their traditional costumes as well as purchasing some cheap crafts from them.

Continue to the ancient town of Chiang Saen, the capital of the kingdom until the 13th century before King Meng Rai, the founder of the Lanna Kingdom moved the capital to Chiang Rai. At that time the Myanmese also arrived and started to occupy the area, Chiang Saen was then totally destroyed and became an abandoned city for many decades.

Visit Wat Chedi Luang, an almost 800 years old temple, also one of the most important temples in Chiang Saen. Further drive along the Mekong River Bank to The World Renowned, Golden Triangle, and the mystery land in the past related to the Drug Trade and War. Buffet lunch at the restaurant. Drive up a small hill to a scenic point at Wat Pu Kao for a picturesque view over the Mekong River and the meeting point of 3 different countries: Thailand – Laos – Myanmar.

Then, take a short walk from the temple down to the Opium Museum where questions and curiosity about the Opium are replied to. Go on traveling to Mae Sai, a bustling market at the border town with Myanmar and the northernmost point of Thailand. Free at your own leisure. Overnight at Chiang Mai at the hotel.

Spend the day with elephants through the forest and swimming in the Mae Ping River. See how these giants live and get a glimpse at the unique and very real relationships between elephants and their mahouts, often each other’s best friends for life, and watch elephants at work, the baby training school, and bath time! On the return journey to Chiang Mai, you will stop at an orchid farm to see exotic species in full bloom. Lunch at a local restaurant. Afternoon free for shopping. Overnight at Chiang Mai.

Breakfast and check out at the hotel, transfer to Chiang Mai airport for flight departure to Bangkok. Arrival at Bangkok airport connects flight to Hanoi in Vietnam. Upon arrival at Noi Bai international airport, Meet with a tour guide and driver then transfer to the hotel for check-in. Relax & stay overnight in Hanoi.

We start our one-day city tour from the lobby of the hotel at 8:00 am with our tour guide & driver pick up. We will drive to Ho Chi Minh Complex, where we will spend a couple of hours visiting Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum, his former stilt-house residence, the Presidential Palace, the Ho Chi Minh Museum, and One Pillar Pagoda. Keep going to see the Temple of Literature originally built as a temple to Confucius, this is the site of Vietnam's first university dating back to 1070. The temple highlights the importance that Vietnamese society placed then and now on education. Lunch will be at a fine local restaurant in Hanoi.

In the afternoon, we visit one of the most interesting museums in Vietnam, the Museum of Ethnology, which is widely acknowledged as the best in the country and has an extensive display dedicated to Vietnam's 54 Ethnic minority people. After that, get back to the city center & visit Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison), a very good place to discover the old time of Vietnam.

Next, we are on a one-hour cyclo around the Old Quarter by local people ride, known as the 36 streets. This bustling area of narrow streets is home to literally thousands of small businesses and shopkeepers. Before we go back to the hotel, we will have a chance to enjoy the unique Water Puppet show to hear to know Vietnamese traditional instruments and singing from the live musicians who play throughout the show. The trip will be finished after the show at the hotel in the late afternoon, free then & stay overnight in Hanoi.

We are met at the lobby of the hotel by our tour guide & driver at 08:00 AM for a transfer to Halong Bay. After more than 3 hours of driving including a stop-over in Hai Duong city, we arrive in Halong Bay at around 11:30 AM. Get on the cruise ship and enjoy a fresh seafood lunch on board your traditional junk while cruising leisurely through the natural wonders of Halong Bay, passing the most beautiful spots in the Bay. Discover the amazing stalactites in Dau Go (Wooden Stakes) Grotto and Thien Cung (Heaven Palace) Grotto with their fantastic history.

In the afternoon, leave the ship and you have time for kayaking or swimming to explore the charms of this gorgeous World Heritage Site. Return to the cruise ship in the late afternoon to enjoy the astonishing sunset with cocktails. Then join in a cooking demonstration from the ship's chef to learn more about Vietnamese traditional cuisine. After dinner, you can relax on the top deck, enjoy a body massage, or go squid fishing with the fishermen. Overnight on cruise.

Wake up early this morning and join in the Taichi lesson among the dreaming ambiance of Halong Bay at dawn. Then enjoy some warm tea which is very good for your health. After breakfast, sit on a boat to visit floating villages and pearl farms. Contact local people to know more about their working and daily life. Later, return to the cruise ship for lunch and check-out. Go back to the dock and return to Hanoi for a 1-hour domestic flight to Danang. Upon arrival in Danang, you will be transferred to Hoi An Ancient Town.

Upon arrival, you are met up by a local tour guide for a short walk down to the downtown for our walking tour with visiting the ancient town to visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, the temples and pagodas of Chinese appearance. Overnight in Hoi An

After breakfast at the hotel, we travel to Hue along scenic highway 1A. On the way, we will stop to contemplate South to Danang city and the stunning views north, visit Cham Museum – the houses of the most complete collection if Cham Artifacts anywhere in the world together with Non Nuoc Beach and the Marble Mountain including the five elements of the Universe (water, wood, air, fire, and earth).

We will arrive in Hue in the afternoon and then visit the Citadel, the Forbidden Purple City, and Dong Ba market. Overnight at the hotel in Hue.

We will be met and transferred to the Wharf where we will cruise along the Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda (The Heavenly Lady pagoda), from here we will have a good view of the Perfume River and its surroundings. And then we take our vehicle to Tu Duc King’s tomb, which is one of the most beautiful works of Royal Architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty. The tomb lies in a boundless pine forest. Then we go back to the city for our delicious lunch at a fine local restaurant.

In the afternoon, we continue heading to the airport for our next flight to Saigon. On arrival, our tour guide and driver will welcome us at the airport and transfer us to our hotel. Check in and relax. Overnight in Saigon

In the morning we will leave Ho Chi Minh City for the Cu Chi tunnels, otherwise known as the "Iron Triangle" or "Iron Land". On our way, we will drive through the pleasant countryside; rubber plantations, and rice paddies. Before entering the tunnels, we will see a short introductory video showing how they were constructed, followed by an exploration of the maze of tunnels, some of which have been widened to allow tourist access. Also on display are various mantraps and the remains of an American tank, as well as numerous bomb craters made by 500lb bombs, dropped by B52 bombers. After that, we transfer back to Ho Chi Minh City & enjoying lunchtime.

In the afternoon, we visit the Reunification Palace, the former Presidential Palace for the president of the South of Vietnam. Then we will visit the War Remnant Museum, where we can see countless artifacts, photographs, and pictures documenting the second Indochina war. We also stop at Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office to get good shots for our memory of the big, modern city of Vietnam. For the rest of the day, we will visit Ben Thanh market and then return back to the hotel at around 17:00. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

The morning starts from the hotel at 7 AM to leave Ho Chi Minh City and travel to Cai Be for about 2,5-hour driving. Vivid farming activities and the riverine life of the Mekong Delta can be seen en route. Take a boat trip from Cai Be along the mighty Mekong River and its tributaries to view the riverine of local people who work and play on the waterways of the Mekong Delta.

It would be a miss if we do not visit the floating market at Cai Be, and a family-run workshop making popcorn, pop-rice, and rice paper. A taste of these local products with green tea brings you a great feeling in tropical weather. Lunch will be set up in a local house located on an island, which is a fertile place for different fruits and trees.

After lunch, take a short nap on a hammock under the shady garden or you also can do cycling along the village paths to enjoy the beauty of the countryside. Lastly, the cruise will transfer us to Can Tho city. The rest of the day is your leisure to explore Can Tho City. Overnight in Can Tho

In the morning, travel to Binh Thuy ancient house built in the 19th century with a rich mix of French and southern Vietnam architecture. Visit the orchard inside the house including various kinds of fruits and flowers. Afterward, travel to Hang Temple, the most famous religious construction in town. Lunch at a local restaurant.

In the afternoon, take a motorboat to explore Tra Su cajuput forest in Chau Doc. Visit the wild bird sanctuary inside the forest then reach the watchtower to get a panoramic view of the forest and nearby mountains. Overnight in Chau Doc

Today, travel by speedboat to Phnom Penh. After hotel check-in, lunch and repose, begin the Phnom Penh city tour by the visit to the Royal Palace, built by King Norodom in 1866 on the site of the old town, and the Silver Pagoda, located within the grounds of the Royal Palace, is named because of its floor, which is made up of 5000 silver tiles.

Then continue your visit to the National Museum, one of Phnom Penh's true architectural gems. It is instantly recognizable with its warm red terracotta and its gracefully cured roof topped by dozens of guardian nagas. It was designed in Khmer style in 1917 by famed French architect Georges Groslier & Ecole Des Arts Cambodians. Overnight in Phnom Penh

After breakfast, continue to visit the notorious Killing Fields “Choeung Ek" 15km southwest of Phnom Penh. This one is the site of brutal executions of more than 17,000 individuals, most of whom first suffered through interrogations, torture, and deprivation in Toul Sleng Prison during the Pol Pot regime (from 1975–1979). Continue your visit to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21 prison). This prison was a high school, and used as a prison by Pol Pot's security forces and became the largest center for detention and torture during the rule of the Khmer Rouge. After your rest, visit Russian Market (Psah Tuol Thom Pong), a lively outdoor market where you will find antiquities, silver and gold jewelry, gems, silk, kramas, stone, and wood carvings, as well as T-Shirts, CDs, and other souvenirs.

Next, move to the airport for a domestic flight to Siem Reap. Arrive in Siem Reap, meet with your tour guide and driver then quickly move to Angkor Wat for sunset sightseeing. Travel to the hotel for check-in. Overnight in Siem Reap

In the morning, visit Ta Prohm, one of the area’s most beautiful temples. It has been relatively untouched since it was discovered and retains much of its mystery. Neak Pean, a fountain built in the middle of a pool (representing the paradisiacal Himalayan mountain-lake), and Ta Som, built in the late 12th century C.E. the most distant temple on the grand circuit, small but classic are the next stops during your travel.

Afterward, the Preah Khan temple, built by King Jayavarman VII, like Ta Prohm is a place of towered enclosures and shoulder-hugging corridors. However, the temple of Preah Khan is in a reasonable state of preservation and ongoing restoration efforts should maintain and even improve this situation. In the evening, we enjoy Buffet Dinner and enjoy Khmer Traditional Dance Show at a local restaurant. We are back to the hotel, at leisure & stay overnight.

In the morning, we with our guide & driver visit the floating village of Chong Khneas, located 10 kilometers south of Siem Reap. Visit the village and take an excursion in a traditional wooden boat on the Tonle Sap Lake, the "Great Lake" of Cambodia, one of the largest in Asia. After lunch, transfer to Siem Reap international airport for your departure flight. Tour ends